The design of complex products commonly requires a large number of steps and processes. Commonly product design begins with artistic concept rendering; moves into computer-aided design or CAD drawings; is analyzed for structural integrity using computer aided engineering; is analyzed for manufacturing feasibility; is reanalyzed for structural integrity; is re-evaluated for design change acceptability. Each step is approached independently often by a different group of specialists. Changes from the designers, changes from manufacturing feasibility, changes from engineering requirements all impact each other and commonly require either reanalysis or accepted inefficiencies.
This is exceedingly prevalent in the design of complex structures such as automobiles. Automotive design must incorporate the artistic vision of the designers; must comply with the realities of CAD representation; must meet or exceed structural limits for a wide variety of loading conditions; and must meet manufacturing feasibility. Each of these priorities tends to pull the resultant design in its own direction. While advances have been made in optimizing the approach for individual design elements, this still requires constant reanalysis in a multitude of areas due to changes for a single design priority.
What has been missing is a truly holistic approach to the design process that integrates the significant arenas of design valuation into a single process in which optimization of the design addresses considerations of each arena. In complex structures such as vehicle design, merely addressing all variables in a single analysis would be virtually untenable with modern processing limitations. Therefore, a more tailored intelligent and holistic approach toward complex structural design is needed. This new approach would allow for improvements in strength to be combined with improvements in weight in addition to improvements in manufacturing feasibility. These multi-disciple considerations could be approached together such that entire design process is optimized as well as the resultant product.